Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist appointments.

Cutting elective care waiting times, including for ear, nose, and throat services (ENT), is a key priority for the Government. Between July 2024 and June 2025, we delivered 5.2 million additional appointments, compared to the previous year, more than double our pledge of two million. The latest data from August 2025 shows the ENT waiting list, currently at 627,206, has reduced by 31,000, or 4.7%, since the start of July 2024.

ENT is identified as a priority in the Elective Reform Plan. Specific actions to reform ENT include expanding non-surgical community-based ENT services, maximising pharmacy first approaches, and developing one-stop clinical models to support patients needing ear care and patients with rhinitis. We are also focussing on reducing unwarranted variation in surgical pathways, supporting nationwide adoption of high-flow operating lists, and promoting greater ENT and paediatric ENT access at surgical hubs.

Surgical hubs focus on driving improvement in six high volume specialties, including ENT. There are currently 124 elective surgical hubs that are operational across England. Additionally, as outlined in the Elective Reform Plan, we will continue to promote greater ENT access at surgical hubs and greater partnership working with the independent sector to deliver more non-urgent care, free at the point of use.